


Protecting You, Protecting Me

by metaphoricallylivin



Series: Earth 25: Oh, Yeah I'm An Ugly Mess [6]
Category: DCU
Genre: Gen, Supersuit Present, birthday celebration, lowkey violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 03:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10867788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metaphoricallylivin/pseuds/metaphoricallylivin
Summary: It's Toby's 15th birthday and Jason is pretty sure Toby is ready.





	Protecting You, Protecting Me

**Author's Note:**

> There's a training fight scene so... yeah. I wrote this because my birthday is in a little over a week so I'm in a birthday mood.
> 
> Enjoy, this is a pretty light fic.

Toby’s 15th birthday happened to coincide with finals week at Gotham Academy. Jason decided to push back Toby’s birthday present as a result, the kid didn't need more stress. He did give Toby part of it on his actual birthday, a collapsible red knife, meant to be stored in his utility belt.

 

“Dude… this is so cool! I can stab people with this,” Toby said, he was holding it in his hands like it held the answer to the universe and part of Jason was thinking “This is adorable,” while the other part was thinking “Hope he doesn't stab someone.”

 

“Yeah, we don't stab people with things though, unless they provoke an attack,” Jason said. Responsible parenting was harder than people made it seem.

 

“You stab people all the time,” Toby said.

 

“Yes, and I'm 21 and the Red Hood, I can stab people if I want,” Jason said. “You on the other hand are Toby and you're 15. Not stabbing age yet.”

 

Toby sighed way too dramatically, but Jason could see that he was smiling. Toby seemed happy with his gift.

 

“Have you studied yet?” Jason asked.

 

“Yeah, I studied during lunch and on the bus,” Toby said.

 

“Okay, it’s training time then. You’re going to try to take me down, when you do it you get your cake,” Jason said before motioning Toby to follow him towards the training room.

 

Toby looked at Jason for a couple moments before sprinting towards the training room. Toby moved to grab his headpiece and gloves, but Jason waved his hand, telling Toby not to. He tentatively dropped them before moving towards the mat. He took a fighting stance and waited for Jason to do the same.

 

Toby tentatively moved his head to the side and smiled. “Start?”

 

Jason nodded and he moved to punch Toby, Toby dodged and attempted to send a roundhouse to Jason’s side. Jason grabbed his leg and Toby dropped to the ground. The fight wasn’t done until one of them tapped the ground three times.

 

“You done?” Jason asked. He’d left his stance too open for someone who was still in a fight, Toby knew he was planning something.

 

“Not even close,” Toby said, he tried his best to look defiant.

 

Toby moved to swipe Jason’s feet out from under him and in one swift movement he got on top of Jason and he leaned his elbow against Jason’s solar plexus. He smiled cheekily at Jason as he sighed and tapped the ground three times. Toby jumped up and excitedly punched the air.

 

“You did good. Now you get your real present,” Jason said. He moved towards the cabinet on the edge of the room. It was where Jason kept most of his guns. It was under lock and key.

 

Jason took out a package wrapped in white paper. He handed it to Toby and smiled as Toby held it.

 

Toby ripped open the package and looked at it. It was a suit. All of it was bright red except for the black pants and a black utility belt.

 

“What is this?” Toby asked.

 

“It’s your suit, for your time as my partner, Cardinal,” Jason said, smiling wide and he clapped a hand on Toby’s back. “We start patrols when your finals end, school comes first.”

 

Toby beamed and ran away to go try it on. Jason checked his phone, a missed text from Babs.

 

To: Jason

From: Babs

 

_Are you sure Toby is ready?_

 

To: Babs

From: Jason

 

_he’s more prepared than i ever was_

 

To: Jason

From: Babs

 

_Toby isn’t you, though. You also died_

 

To: Babs

From: Jason

 

_that’s why i trained toby to be everything i wasn’t_

 

Jason shut his phone and smiled. Toby was ready, of this he was more than sure. Cardinal wasn’t the next dead bird, he was the start of something Jason had never been and could never be, someone who could be accessible to the people, like Robin was, but also brutal and merciless, like Red Hood.

 

* * *

 

Toby stared in the mirror in his room, his reflection looked different than it usually did. The whole costume was bright red and made his shock of red hair seem less out of place. The mask concealed his eyes and the boots subtly changed his walking. Cardinal and Toby were seemingly two different people and Toby wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that. There was a knife holstered to his thigh and another one tucked into his utility belt, with Toby’s asthma inhaler, a grappling hook, a flashlight, and an air filter in the event they went up against a chemical attack. To be completely honest nothing was off the table in Gotham.

 

“Are you good?” Jason asked knocking on Toby’s door.

 

“Yeah. I’ll be out in a second,” Toby said. This was his first time on the streets of Gotham, saving people.

 

Jason was waiting for Toby outside of his room. His red helmet was retracted and his streak of white hair was falling into his eyes. His eyes were a dark hazel with a slight green glow to them. He was wearing the Red Hood costume, a leather jacket with suit. There was a red bat symbol on the center of his chest, it was modified from the one that Batman wore.

 

“Lookin’ sharp, kid,” Jason said, giving Toby finger guns.

 

“Thanks, Jason. What are we doing tonight?” Toby asked, he scratched the back of his head, almost self consciously.

 

“Some simple stuff, patrols mostly,” Jason said.

 

“Okay, okay. Sounds easy,” Toby said.

 

“Hey, I won’t let anyone hurt you. I will never let anyone hurt you,” Jason said, he placed a comforting hand on Toby’s shoulder.

 

“I know,” Toby said.

 

“Just making sure. If someone tries to kill you, they die,” Jason said. It was strangely comforting that Jason loved him so much that if someone hurt him they'd die.

 

“Thank you, for everything,” Toby said, his voice cracked slightly and Jason could see tears welling in his eyes.

 

“No problem,” Jason said.

 

* * *

 

After patrols Toby was dead tired, he ended up sleeping in his costume, only stopping to take off his holster and utility belt before crashing. It was rare for him to sleep in his bed, but the night had quieted his paranoia enough that he could manage it. Jason seemed wide awake after patrols, but he had more stamina than Toby and the Lazarus Pit had altered his need for sleep.

 

Toby woke up to Cass jumping on his bed with a huge grin plastered over her face.

 

“Mmmmm, sleep,” Toby mumbled, burying his head into the crook of his arm.

 

[I helped design the suit. If you don't wake up I won't show you the special features]

 

“This is blackmail,” Toby whined, but it was halfhearted at best.

 

[Yes]

 

After a minute Toby flopped on his back and moved to stand up.

 

“Okay, what are these special features you're talking about?” Toby asked.

 

[Check the pocket on the inside of your jacket]

 

Toby looked at Cass incredulously, what the fuck would that do. Reluctantly he reached into it and pulled out a small knife.

 

[It’ll pass metal detectors, the blade is carbon fiber]

 

“Damn that's cool,” Toby said.

 

[You also have a taser in your boots]

 

“Did you steal that from the Batgirl suit?” Toby asked. He'd seen Cass tase a dude by kicking them in the face more than once on video.

 

Cass smiled wildly, “Yes.”

  
“Damn you really are my best friend,” Toby said before moving to hug cass way to tight. Cass merely hugged back tighter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I appreciate your time and I'd be very happy to hear what you thought.


End file.
